Discograffiti

22. MANAGER ANDREW SANDOVAL REVEALS THE FULL STORY BEHIND THE MONKEES & RATES ALL THEIR RECORDS (PART 1, 1966-1967: MONKEES, MORE OF THE MONKEES, HEADQUARTERS, PISCES AQUARIUS CAPRICORN JONES, & MORE)

Joe and Dave welcome The Monkees' manager, Andrew Sandoval, to discuss the often underrated work of the Prefab Four. This episode covers the band from their origins as a television show concept to their fight for musical independence to their triumphant rise to the top of the pop charts. All releases are rated from 0 to 5 and the band's history / origin story is examined in great detail.
 
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- Official curated playlist by Joe and Dave on Spotify
- The Monkees' audition tapes for their TV show
- Newsreel footage from 1967- Feature length documentary about the band if you want even more Monkees

21. THE FULL STORY BEHIND STEVIE NICKS (BELLA DONNA, THE WILD HEART, ROCK A LITTLE, OTHER SIDE OF THE MIRROR, STREET ANGEL, TROUBLE IN SHANGRI-LA, IN YOUR DREAMS, 24 KARAT GOLD, & MORE)

Joe and Dave discuss the solo career of Stevie Nicks, from the lofty heights of 'Bella Donna' to... everything else. All of her solo albums are rated on a scale from 0 to 5 and Joe and Dave rank their favorites.
 
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- Curated playlist by Joe and Dave on Spotify
- Live clip from the 'Bella Donna' era- "Stand Back" live at the US Festival
- "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" live with Tom Petty

20. THE FULL STORY BEHIND DE LA SOUL (3 FEET HIGH AND RISING, DE LA SOUL IS DEAD, BUHLOONE MINDSTATE, STAKES IS HIGH, MOSAIC THUMP, BIONIX, GRIND DATE, FIRST SERVE, AND THE ANONYMOUS NOBODY, & MORE)

De La Soul has one of the best catalogs in the history of hip hop, but due to legal problems with Tommy Boy, the majority of it is still unavailable on streaming services. In late 2021 the group members announced that the catalog would finally be coming to streaming, but as of March 2022, there's still no sign of this actually coming true. Legal woes aside, the music is still available to listen to in other formats - host Joe and Dave walk you through the magic they created, their work with Prince Paul and their lasting influence on hip hop culture at large.
 
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The first four albums are essential and are all on Youtube:
- 3 Feet High and Rising
- De La Soul Is Dead
- Buhloone Mind State
- Stakes Is High
- Interesting article about the band's state of mind around the "Stakes Is High" album
- In-depth, comprehensive interview on Drink Champs
 

19. AUTHOR DAWNIE WALTON REVEALS THE FULL STORY BEHIND BETTY DAVIS & RATES ALL HER RECORDS (BETTY DAVIS, THEY SAY I'M DIFFERENT, NASTY GAL, CRASHIN' FROM PASSION, IS IT LOVE OR DESIRE, & MORE)

Novelist Dawnie Walton (The Final Revival of Opal and Nev) joins Dave and Joe to discuss the work and enduring influence of trailblazing funk diva Betty Davis, who recently passed away. Dawnie talks about how Betty influenced the protagonist of her acclaimed novel and Joe and Dave dissect and rate Betty's entire recorded output.
 
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- official curated playlist by Joe and Dave on Spotify
- Betty's first single from 1964, the sassy "Get Ready For Betty"
- Clips from the "Tales From The Tour Bus" episode about Betty
- The as-of-yet unreleased Crashin' From Passion album, available for listening on YouTube
 

18. THE FULL STORY BEHIND PIXIES (COME ON PILGRIM, SURFER ROSA, DOOLITTLE, BOSSANOVA, TROMPE LE MONDE, INDIE CINDY, HEAD CARRIER, & BENEATH THE EYRIE)

Pixies were one of the most, if not THE most influential bands to form in the mid 80s. All of their singles, EPs and LPs are discussed and rated 0 to 5 stars by Joe and Dave, who also share their picks for the top 3 albums and also their least essential title. Please note: we are saving Pixies side projects and solo records for later episodes.
 
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- official playlist curated by Joe and Dave on Spotify
- Confident and swaggering live performance from 1988
- Absolutely crushing "Debaser" at a club show in 1989
- Live at Brixton Academy in 1991, at the height of their first run of success
- Great comeback single "Bam Thwok," currently unavailable on streaming

17. THE WRECKING CREW'S DON RANDI REVEALS THE FULL STORY BEHIND DAVID AXELROD & RATES ALL HIS RECORDS (SONGS OF INNOCENCE, SONGS OF EXPERIENCE, EARTH ROT, ROCK MESSIAH, THE AUCTION, HEAVY AXE, & MORE)

Joe and Dave welcome legendary Wrecking Crew keyboardist Don Randi to discuss the discography of the nonpareil producer and arranger David Axelrod, whose lush and cinematic funk masterpieces proved to be manna from heaven for crate diggers of the hip hop generation. Don played on many of these recordings and talks about his experience working with Ax in his Capitol Records heyday. Axelrod's entire catalog is discussed in detail and all of his works are rated from 0 to 5 stars.
 
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- official playlist curated by Joe and Dave on Spotify
- Don Randi discusses David Axelrod's legacy upon the 50th anniversary of the release of "Songs Of Experience"
- "Love Theme From Romeo And Juliet" from Don Randi's excellent Axelrod-produced album, not currently available on streaming but has the classic Ax sound
- Standout track from the 1977 album "Strange Ladies," which is sadly unavailable on streaming but definitely worth checking out- "The Shadow Knows" from the 2001 MoWax release of the excellent eponymous Axelrod album that was saved from extinction, currently unavailable on streaming
- Live clip of the man himself conducting the band and orchestra performing "The Edge" in 2004 at Royal Festival Hall

16. THE FULL STORY BEHIND BADFINGER (THE IVEYS, MAGIC CHRISTIAN MUSIC, NO DICE, STRAIGHT UP, ASS, BADFINGER, WISH YOU WERE HERE, HEAD FIRST, AIRWAVES, SAY NO MORE, & MORE)

Joe and Dave discuss the tragic story of Badfinger, power pop legends who were signed to The Beatles' Apple label and who worked closely with Paul and George (as well as Todd Rundgren). The influence of the band can still be heard today in the music of bands like Teenage Fanclub, Sloan, The New Pornographers, etc. Each Badfinger album is dissected and rated. If you want to read about the sad events that befell the band members in the late 70s and early 80s, maybe start here
 
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- official curated playlist by Joe and Dave on Spotify
- "Come And Get It" in 1970
- Rare live appearance of the 'finger playing "Day After Day" on television in 1972
- Jamming on "Shine On Me" at rehearsal in 1973

15. PITCHFORK EDITOR/WRITER JENN PELLY REVEALS THE FULL STORY BEHIND THE RAINCOATS & RATES ALL THEIR RECORDS (THE RAINCOATS, ODYSHAPE, MOVING, LOOKING IN THE SHADOWS, & MORE)

Author and contributing editor at Pitchfork Jenn Pelly joins Joe and Dave for an in-depth discussion about punk legends The Raincoats. All four of their albums are discussed in detail, and are rated and ranked in Discograffiti fashion.
 
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- curated Raincoats playlist by Joe and Dave on Spotify
- Joyous performance from Warsaw in 1978, before they had released a record
- Amazing footage of The Raincoats recording their first single "Fairytale In The Supermarket" in 1979. Geoff Travis and Mayo Thompson make cameos
- 'Odyshape'-era performance of "Only Loved At Night" on Live At The Beeb in 1981
- Making a wonderful racket in 1982, good quality footage

14. A VERY SPECIAL EPISODE #1: AEON STATION'S KEVIN WHELAN REVEALS THE FULL STORY BEHIND HIS TRANSITION FROM THE WRENS TO HIS NEW BAND

"A Very Special Episode" is a new longform format series from Discograffiti. On the first installment Dave and Joe welcome Kevin Whelan. They discuss the evolution from his time with The Wrens to Aeon Station, fax machines, A&R guys, how to make a hit, Kevin Shields-itis, the rules of brotherhood, the future of The Wrens, and which current band he always saw as his nemesis.
 
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13. THE WRENS' & AEON STATION'S KEVIN WHELAN REVEALS THE FULL STORY BEHIND PETER GABRIEL & RATES ALL HIS RECORDS (PETER GABRIEL X 4, BIRDY, SO, PASSION, US, UP, SCRATCH MY BACK, NEW BLOOD, & MORE)

Guest Kevin Whelan (Aeon Station / The Wrens) joins hosts Dave and Joe to discuss the solo discography of Peter Gabriel.
 
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- Official curated Peter Gabriel playlist on Spotify
- Delightfully weird live performance from Peter Gabriel's first solo tour in 1978
- Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel team up to deliver the most depressing performance in the history of televised Christmas specials. Ho Ho Ho.
- PG demonstrates the capabilities of the Fairlight CMI, the ludicrously expensive sampling synthesizer that revolutionized pop music. Check out the size of those floppy disks
- Full live show from 1987, at the height of his fame